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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23763478">Always and Forever</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverMoonSky/pseuds/SilverMoonSky'>SilverMoonSky</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Adrinette April 2020 [18]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Is Not Okay, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Needs a Hug, Adrinette April 2020, Bittersweet, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Comforts Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Marinette still has a crush on Adrien but it's not as big as it was before, but not too close, they're actually friends</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:53:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,186</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23763478</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverMoonSky/pseuds/SilverMoonSky</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After a nasty akuma attack, Marinette finds Adrien feeling a little down and decides to comfort him.</p><p>Written for Day 20: Photoshoot for Adrinette April.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Adrinette April 2020 [18]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1685854</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>128</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Always and Forever</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Like usual, Chat Noir jumped in front of the akuma and took the hit for her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Like usual, Ladybug did her best to quickly defeat the victim without her partner. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Like usual, she immediately purified the akuma and then proceeded to call out the Miraculous cure, allowing everyone who’d been under the akuma’s influence to snap out of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But unlike usual, Chat Noir fled before she could even turn to do their customary fist bump. He hadn’t even used Cataclysm. She’d called after him, but either he didn’t hear or flat-out ignored her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ladybug shook it off, telling herself he just had to leave because of something in his civilian life, and that it didn’t mean anything. After all, why would he avoid her? It wasn’t like she did anything wrong, right?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Marinette dropped down in a nearby alleyway, detransformed, gave Tikki a cookie so she could regain her energy, and began walking back towards the bakery. She’d told her parents she had to pick up a textbook from Alya; it was a lame excuse, and she’d run out before they could question it. Now she knew she would have to face the consequences. But that was okay. In the end, the akuma was more important than the number of times she’d be grounded in the next month.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette was passing the Place des Vosges when she heard voices coming from off to the side. She glanced over to the water fountain, where Adrien seemed to be doing a photoshoot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, no!” The photographer shook his head as he snapped several pictures at different angles. “That isn’t the smile we need! It needs more spaghetti, boy!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien seemed to be trying his best. He struck the poses that the photographer told him too with precision, yet it was clear his mind wasn’t in it. After several tries, his photographer put the camera on the ground and walked up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder and looking into the boy’s eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You okay, boy?” He asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, Vincent,” Adrien said apologetically, not meeting Vincent’s eyes. He seemed dejected. “The akuma attack threw me off.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay.” His photographer sighed. “You’re no use like this. We can continue the shoot another time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien looked at him anxiously. “Won’t Father be mad?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll talk to him,” Vincent said. “Now run along, boy, and wipe that frown off your face.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette watched Adrien grab his bag, quickly thank his photographer, and head out of the park. She frowned. From looking at the slump of his shoulders and the way he was walking hurriedly somewhere, he was clearly not okay. She knew him well enough to know that most of the time, Adrien was the literal embodiment of sunshine. So Marinette did the most logical thing she could think of at the time: she followed him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Marinette</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Tikki chided, “what are you doing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m following him, Tikki,” she said. “I need to make sure he’s okay. What if something really really bad happened to him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure following him is a good idea, though?” TIkki asked. “He might just want some time alone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If he needs time alone, I’ll let him be. But he’s my friend, and if he needs someone to talk to, I wanna be there for him,” Marinette said as they continued to follow the blond haired boy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tikki nodded at her chosen’s words. “Just be careful, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette smiled down at where Tikki was settled in her purse. “I will.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien eventually stopped by the Seine. He sat down on a bench, watching the soothing, flowing water for a while before letting out a groan and burying his face in his hands. At closer inspection, it was clear that he was visibly shaking. Marinette’s heart shattered as she stared at him from a distance. Whatever had upset him, it had really hurt him badly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Should I go talk to him?” She whispered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try,” Tikki said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette walked over and sat down on the bench next to him. He didn’t seem to notice her presence. “Hey,” she said quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien suddenly looked up at her, startled. “Oh, uh, Marinette,” he stammered, “what’re you doing here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She ignored the question, instead looking at him and taking in his current state. His eyes glistened with unshed tears, and his hands quivered with. . . . fear? Anger? Despair? She couldn’t tell, but one thing was clear: he was anything but fine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I. . . . I’m fine,” he murmured, not meeting her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re clearly not,” Marinette said softly. She put a hand on his knee. He jumped at the touch, and immediately she took her hand away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s nothing, really,” Adrien said. “You don’t need to worry, Mari, really.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it the akuma attack?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tensed up. “I. . . .”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to tell me,” she said, “but sometimes it’s better to let everything out. And. . . . I’ll listen. If you need me to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Silence stretched between the two of them as Adrien contemplated whatever he was thinking about. Marinette waited. She’d respect his decision, whatever it may be. What was important right now was that Adrien knew he could count on her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’d begun to believe he wasn’t going to talk when he whispered, “I got caught in the akuma attack.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette turned to look at him. Adrien was looking anywhere but her face. She nodded, letting him know he could continue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The akuma’s name was Melancholia. Someone really hurt her badly in the past, and when they showed up in her life again, she got akumatized.” Adrien looked down at his hands, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. “When. . . . when the ray hits you, you’re frozen in place. You relieve your worst memory, and I--I just. . . .”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette  could see where this was going. “You don’t have to go on if you don’t want to,” she whispered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien opened his eyes to watch the river. “My worst memory is when my mom left,” he said quietly. “Father walked into my room one day and told me she’d disappeared, and that no one knew where she was. He told me that she would come back to us someday, but. . . . she </span>
  <em>
    <span>hasn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> come back, Mari. And I don’t know if she ever will.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Adrien. . . .”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s been nearly two years now,” he said, finally looking at her. Marinette drew in a breath. He seemed absolutely </span>
  <em>
    <span>heartbroken.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “Father seems determined not to move on, Nathalie keeps getting dizzy spells just like Mom did but he doesn’t care, and I. . . . I’m just. . . . overwhelmed, I guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette didn’t know how to respond; she instead searched his gaze, waiting to see if he had more to say. When he didn’t, she put her hand on his knee. This time, he didn’t pull away. “You’re not alone,” she murmured. “You don’t have to deal with this all on your own.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But I--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>No,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Marinette said, shaking her head, “I know you’re going to blame yourself for what’s going on, but they’re adults, Adrien. They can handle themselves. You shouldn’t have to worry about them just because they refuse to take care of themselves.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But I can’t help but feel like I should do something.” Adrien sighed. “That’s the problem. I have the urge to do something about it, but I. . . .”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can’t,” she finished.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded, and awkward silence fell between them once again. She hated that she couldn’t do more for him. Marinette hated the fact that all she could do was listen to him--she couldn't solve his problems, she couldn’t fix up all the things that went wrong; she could only be there for him. That was all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hesitantly, Marinette took Adrien’s hand. She slowly started caressing his fingers with her own. He seemed to relax almost immediately and leaned into her touch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know I can’t really help,” she said, “but I’ll listen, if you ever need to talk or need to rant. I won’t judge you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks Mari,” Adrien whispered, “you’re the best.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette smiled. “Of course.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien bit his lip. “You know,” he said slowly, “I know you’ll say otherwise, but. . . . sometimes I can’t help but feel like Mom left because of me.” There was not a trace of accusation or sadness in his voice; it simply held acceptance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette’s head shot up and she stared at him in shock. Their eyes locked together. She opened her mouth to exclaim something along the lines of </span>
  <em>
    <span>no, that’s terrible, of course not!</span>
  </em>
  <span> But then she realized he told her because she trusted her not to make a scene about it. She couldn’t violate his trust like that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Marinette let her gaze soften, instead deciding to reason through this. “Why do you think that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien seemed startled by the question; it made her wonder if anyone he’d ever talked to actually asked him that. Judging by his reaction, probably not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess. . . . I mean, why else would she leave? The only reason she probably left is because she was unhappy.” He sighed. “Father made her happy, Nathalie was one of her best friends, and I just. . . .”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She </span>
  <em>
    <span>loved </span>
  </em>
  <span>you, Adrien,” Marinette said. “You know she did. Whenever you talk about your mom, it’s always with positivity.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know,” he murmured, “but I can’t help but feel this way. No other reason makes sense.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not your fault,” Marinette said firmly. “No other reason makes sense because there </span>
  <em>
    <span>isn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> one. You don’t know what happened to your mom, but whatever it was, it isn’t because of you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien didn’t reply, but he didn’t tell her to stop either. She took that as a sign to continue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know,” Marinette whispered, “the only way to stop blaming yourself is to accept what happened. I--I know it’ll be hard, and I know it doesn’t help that your father and Nathalie are the way they are, but. . . . learn to accept what happened. And maybe try and move on.” She looked at him, suddenly realizing that with the way she was going on, it was like she was lecturing him. “I mean!” She added hastily, “I’m not trying to lecture you or anything, and I’m not trying to impose, but I just--I thought--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien squeezed her hand. “I understand,” he said with a soft smile. “That’s good advice. I’ll try to follow it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m glad,” she said quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two of them sat there for a while, contemplating their own thoughts. Their hands were still interlocked, however, neither pulled away from the other. Marinette was aware that her parents would be worrying about what was taking her so long, but at that moment, she didn’t care.  Adrien needed her. She didn’t want to think about what would’ve gone through his head if she didn’t stop to talk to him. He was always so selfless; she was sure he wouldn’t have let anything out if she hadn’t pressed him. He needed to learn that talking to someone about his problems wasn’t burdening them if they were willing to listen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly Marinette realized something else: this was probably the reason Chat Noir left so early! Because he was hit, he would’ve had to relive his worst memory, just like Adrien. She couldn’t imagine what it was, but it had definitely shaken him up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette made a mental note to talk to her partner on patrol that night. She needed to make sure he was okay.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien was the first to stand. “Thanks for listening to me, Mari. You really helped calm me down.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She smiled at him, a light blush streaking across her cheeks. “Of course.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I should go now,” he said. “My bodyguard’s probably looking for me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette nodded and stood up beside him. “I should go too,” she said, “my parents are probably wondering where I am.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then I guess I’ll see you later then.” Adrien grabbed his bag and gave her a small wave before turning in the opposite direction.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait!” Marinette called. He turned and looked back at her questioningly. “I. . . . I just wanted to say that it’s always better to talk to someone.” She wrung her hands together awkwardly. “Instead of, um, keeping things to yourself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’d expected Adrien to nod, maybe say something, and leave. However, what she hadn’t expected was for him to envelop her in a bone-crushing hug.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m so lucky to have you as a friend,” he whispered as he buried his face against her hair. “Thank you for always being there for me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Warmth spread through her from head-to-toe. Unsure of what to else say, Marinette gently wrapped her arms around him and pressed her cheeks against his shoulder. Of course she’d be there for him. Even if he would never feel the same way about her, even if they would never be as close as she wanted them to be, she would be there as a friend for as long as he needed her to be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even if it was for an eternity. She’d be there for him; it was the least she could do, after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And hopefully, he’d do the same for her.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Just to be clear: the advice in this fic is by no means professional; if you noticed an inconsistency or something of the sort, it's because I'm simply basing this on my personal experiences. A lot of the time, writing about these types of issues is like an outlet for me, and writing out advice between characters really helps. I'm not entirely happy with how this fic turned out, and it's a little late, but I hope you liked it :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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